Residents of the West African city of Timbuktu smuggled out tens of thousands of priceless manuscripts over a decade ago as al-Qaida-linked extremists swept into this part of Mali.

“The families that hold the manuscripts are in a difficult situation and receive no support. So, when these families have ...

Thirteen years ago, Abdoulaye Cissé risked his life to smuggle tens of thousands of fragile manuscripts out of Timbuktu as al-Qaida -linked extremists swept into the desert town.

In what's believed to be a first, the International Criminal Court in The Hague is contemplating a case that treats the destruction of cultural heritage as a war crime. The charges date to 2012, when ...

Stepping through a low doorway into his small house, Fida Ag Mohammed sits at a table and pats a pile of books in front of him. Even in the dim light it’s clear that these are no ordinary volumes. The ...

Once again the world is watching with increasing alarm as religious extremists destroy centuries-old historical sites because they find them offensive. In 2001 it was the towering statues of Buddha in ...

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Timbuktu. The name alone conjures mystery, obscurity and curiosity: Is that really a place? Where the heck is it? Timbuktu is in Mali, a West African country bordered by seven others, including ...

Violent jihadism as a governing ideology has been a significant feature of the global scene for nearly two decades. There are certainly differences between say, the nature Al Shabaab's control over ...

The very name evokes mystery, riches, faraway places and unknown lands. Timbuktu — the forbidden city in the heart of Africa. It was founded in 1080. And within 300 years, it had already become one of ...

Our adventure in the great African desert was triggered by an invitation extended from the Wheeler Opera House stage in fall 2004. Habib Koite, a Malian performer, spoke of the Festival of the Desert.

The intriguingly unorthodox “Timbuktu,” one of five films vying for a foreign-language Oscar, is a provocative, sometimes satiric drama about the sort of Islamic extremists who make life, especially ...